


Godfather

by AshWinterGray



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman Beyond, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Again, Arguing, Clones, Crime Fighting, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Family Reunions, Godfather Jason Todd, Jason Todd died, Soul-Siblings, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:08:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23762077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshWinterGray/pseuds/AshWinterGray
Summary: Years ago, before Matt McGinnis was born, before Mary and Warren McGinnis got a divorce, Terry McGinnis had a godfather. He was the coolest person ever in Terry's eyes. He could sing, cook, fight crime. Then, one day, he vanished. Now, years later, his godfather has turned up on his doorstep. Terry just...never made the connection that his godfather; Uncle Jay, was the same person as Bruce Wayne's lost son; Jason Todd.
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Duke Thomas & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Past Koriand'r/Dick Grayson - Relationship, Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake, Terry McGinnis & Bruce Wayne, Terry McGinnis & Elainna Grayson, Terry McGinnis & Jason Todd, Terry McGinnis & Melanie Walker, Terry McGinnis/Dana Tan, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Terry McGinnis & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, past Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson - Relationship
Comments: 14
Kudos: 149





	Godfather

**Author's Note:**

> I dunno what this is, but quarantine has given me lots of ideas, and of all those ideas, this is the only one I finished. So...meh.
> 
> And another thing...why wasn't Elainna Grayson a tag? She has been introduced in comics...so why she no exist in tags?

Terry opened the front door, tossing his bag against the wall, then instantly regretting it. He knew his mom didn’t like him leaving things around the house. He quickly plucked it up again, ignoring Matt’s look.

“Terry?” his mother asked, stepping into the room. “Are you alright sweetheart?”

“Yeah,” Terry ran a hand down his face. “Yeah, I-I’m pretty sure I failed that physics test, though.”

“But you studied for that all week,” his mother said.

“I know, I know,” Terry said. “You helped me study, too. Dana, Max, even Chelsea helped me study. Mr. Wayne and Elainna even made flashcards!”

Terry pulled out the flashcards for emphasis, remembering the times that Bruce and Elainna had made him study while in the middle of fights. When he was patrolling. And whenever he was over. It had been Mayor Grayson that convinced Bruce that Terry needed his education. Elainna and Bruce had both taken to helping. Even Matt had gotten in on it.

“I don’t know, mom,” Terry flopped on the couch beside his brother. “It was like the moment the test was in front of me, I forgot everything.”

“Don’t worry kiddo,” a big, burly, heart-warming voice stated. “You’re smarter than you think. I’m sure you did just fine.”

Terry jumped off the couch and spun around, because there was no way that voice belonged to who he thought it belonged to. He had vanished years ago, before Matt had been born. His little brother quickly jumped up, his training as Robin had him on his toes. But he could feel his brother freeze as Terry staggered forward. Because it was _him_. It was definitely _him._

Terry couldn’t help it as he let out a chocked gasp.

“Uncle Jay?”

Jason Todd, his godfather stood in the doorway of his kitchen, smiling at him. His hair was unruly, the white bangs just as unruly as the rest of his hair. He had a new scar, directly over his lip. But it was still his godfather.

“Hey, kiddo,” Jason stepped forward. “I’m home.”

Terry vaulted over the couch, much to his mother’s disdain, and fell into the arms of the man who had helped raise him for most of his childhood. Jason felt thinner, and Terry could feel the scars through his uncle’s shirt. Old and new. Terry used to map them out when he was a child.

“Let me look at you,” Jason pulled back, looking over him with eyes that were a little less green than he remembered. “Look at how strong you are, and tall. I remember when you were tiny. Sometimes I was the only one who could settle you down. Now look at you.”

Terry ignored his brother’s snort behind him. His grip on Jason tightened, and Terry used every technique he had to look over his godfather with every skill Bruce had taught him.

“Where have you been?” Terry whispered, locking eyes with his godfather once more. “It’s-it’s been years. You were going to take me to your favorite spot on my fifteenth birthday. You-you just. You just disappeared.”

Jason had a sad, pained smile on his lips, regret evident in his eyes. On his face. In all of him. He reached up at hand to brush the tears away from Terry’s face. The hand was bandaged, and Terry was afraid to ask what was underneath.

“That’s a long story, kiddo,” Jason said, in that way that always let Terry know he was thinking on the past. The circumstances of Jason meeting his mom were a secret. Something neither of them ever talked about, but instead shared in secret glances. “And I’ll tell you. But there are some things you need to know.”

\--------------------------

“I met your mother in Crime Alley,” Jason said, once they were all seated with cups of warm coco in front of them. “I wasn’t exactly the best of people back then, and your mom was just a kid. She was getting harassed by a bunch of jerks, so I stepped in.”

“One of them got a lucky shot,” Mary McGinnis stated, looking to where Terry knew there to be a faded bullet wound scar. “I was a child at the time, but I wasn’t just going to let him die.”

“And to this day, I still have no idea how you got my Hood off,” Jason laughed, grinning brightly at her.

Wait. Hood. Terry’s brain wracked, trying to place the familiarity of that statement. Something Elainna had said…

“I see your brain is working, kiddo,” Jason nudged Terry, his smile fond. “Always trying to solve puzzles. Might as well tell, you.”

“Jay,” Mary said softly.

“No, no, Mary, these are your boys, remember,” Jason held up a hand. “They’d figure it out eventually.” Jason turned to look at Terry and Matt, but mostly Terry. It was clear that he was preparing for something.”

“Kiddo, back in my prime, long before you were born, I was a vigilante and Crime Lord known as Red Hood.”

Terry’s brain decided it needed to short circuit. There was no way. It couldn’t _possibly_ be what he was thinking. There was no way that “Uncle Jay” and “Jaybird” were the same Jason Peter Todd. But it _had_ to be.

“Jason Peter Todd-Wayne,” Terry breathed in shock. “You’re-you’re Jason Peter Todd-Wayne!”

Matt had turned to look at Terry. “Mr. Wayne’s dead kid?”

“Matt!” Mary snapped, but Jason only laughed. “One in the same, kiddo. One in the same. Surprise.”

Terry wanted to scream, to shout, to do _something._ He did none of those things, recalling what Elainna had managed to tell you.

“Where were you?”

Jason sighed, running a hand over his face.

“An old friend of mine, Koriand’r, needed help,” Jason stated. “She used to go by Starfire. Dated Dick Grayson for a time. Kori and I were a part of a team called the Outlaws when we were kids, and I’ve always said I would be there when she called. She needed help off world, so I went. Took Arsenal with us. Artemis of Bana-Mighdall and the Super-Clone: Bizarro joined us. None of us made it back.”

Terry was gripping the table in a tight grip, shutting his eyes just as tight. Had Jason been to see any of his brothers? His sister? What about Bruce? Bruce would never say it out loud but losing Jason a second time had eventually led to Batman killing a man with a gun. It had taken weeks of research to learn about Jason Todd, and Max had to hack the Batcave.

“We were held prisoner for a time, Kori’s ship destroyed, and chucked into an alternate-reality.”

Terry had never been to an alternate-reality himself, but Superman had warned him about them. Bruce had too.

“And it took you all this time to get back,” Terry finished, forcing himself to let go of the table before he broke it. “Does Bruce know?”

“Terry!” Mary admonished, more for his lack of manners than for the question.

How much did his mother know?

“No, kid,” Jason admitted, clearly hesitant. Nervous. There had been bad blood between them for some time. “I haven’t been by to see my old man, yet. I’ve only been back for twenty-four hours.”

Jason Todd was Red Hood, and his mother knew this.

“How did you find out who he was?” Terry directed the question to his mom. “How did you learn his identity?”

Matt gave Terry a sharp kick.

“Well, like I said, I was just a kid,” Mary admitted, “and the Red Hood always looked out for the kids of Crime Alley, homeless or not. He saved my life in that alley at the cost of his own. So I put pressure on his wound and yanked off his helmet until Arsenal showed up, said Jason had hit his panic button. Then took him away.”

“Arsenal had been freaking out over you seeing my face,” Jason chuckled, clearly fond of the memory. “So I found Mare-bear, here, and gave her a visit.”

“He kept visiting,” Mary smiled just as fondly. “I remember Batgirl at the time joking about me being your little sister.”

“Yeah, she adored you,” Jason admitted. “She left for a time, though. Left Gotham to be with her fiancé. I managed to learn she was back in Gotham, though keeping out of vigilante business.”

Terry winced, doing his best to hide it. Stephanie Brown-Drake had been in a panic once she learned what happened to Tim. Had completely broken down and nearly revealed her identity, blaming herself for not noticing the Joker. It was one of the few moments were Terry got to see the father version of Bruce Wayne. The first time, really.

Max had helped him look into Jason Wayne’s file, had seen what happened to the second Robin. She and Terry had been sick for a couple weeks after reading that report. But all Terry could think about was that Jason had no idea what happened to Tim. Had no idea that Batman had gotten rid of the Joker for good. Forever.

Jason had no idea that he had Batman and Robin sitting across from him.

“It never bothered you?” Terry asked his mother, holding his breath as the question left his lips. “His nightlife?”

“No, I suppose not,” Mary hummed thoughtfully. “There were times when I was upset, but I knew why he did it. I wouldn’t blame him if he went back in the game, either.”

Jason was eyeing Terry now, and Jason knew they would be having a talk later. But for now, Jason said nothing more. Terry appreciated that.

\---------------------------

Jason parked the car, hand hesitating on the key before finally shutting it off. Terry gave him a proud smile.

“He’ll be glad to see you, Uncle Jay,” Terry assured. “Probably be emotionally constipated, but deep down, he’ll be glad.”

“Terry would know,” Matt pipped up from the back seat. “Mr. Wayne still hates how well Terry can read him.”

“Huh, looks like Elainna is here too,” Terry noted, not catching Jason’s surprised/amused expression. “Which is odd, cause she was supposed to be at a charity event tonight with her dad.”

“Isn’t that Mr. Drake’s car?” Matt asked, pointing to a second car. “I didn’t think he liked the Manor.”

Terry grabbed the bag, the Batsuit snuggly inside. Terry still wasn’t sure how Jason had taken the suit, but he had a feeling he was going to find out. Given the cars, Terry had a feeling he would be mediator. _Again._

“That’s Commissioner Gordon’s car,” Matt was pointing out. “And isn’t that Mrs. Cass’s car? I don’t recognize some of the other vehicles. Is there a party or something?”

“No,” Terry voiced, already getting out of the car, seeing Elainna on the porch. “It’s a family reunion.”

Elainna gave Terry that look that said she was going to sass him into the ground, but it shifted as she realized who was stepping out of the driver’s seat. If she hadn’t already been sitting, she might have fallen to her knees. Terry jogged up to her.

“Terry!” she breathed, more like squawked, as Matt dragged Jason up to them.

“Uncle Jay, allow me to introduce you to your niece, Elainna Grayson,” Terry grinned at Elainna. “Elainna, this is Jason Todd, your uncle and my godfather.”

“You’re what!?”

Elainna had lost any and all poise she normally had with their conversations, and it made Terry laugh. “Guess it really is a small world.”

“Or a small city,” Matt pipped up. “Here, give me your phone. I’ll call Dana while you soothe things over.”

“Gee, thanks,” Terry grumbled sarcastically as he pulled out his phone, though grateful that Matt had his back in and out of the world. “My own brother leaving me to the wolves.”

Elainna slapped him. Hard. Clearly still freaking out about this. Terry couldn’t blame her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t laugh at her expense. Linking arms with Elainna and shoving Jason forward, Terry directed them into the Manor, Matt already calling Dana as he followed them inside.

The arguing had already started, and Terry didn’t blame Elainna for getting out.

“I didn’t know,” Bruce was saying. Harsh, but with an underline of pain that only Terry could hear. Because Terry _had_ to hear it. Because Terry _had to learn_ to hear it. “I swear, I didn’t know. I would have done anything to-!”

“You honesty expect me to believe that!” Tim snarled, fiercer than anything Terry had heard from the man before. This was Red Robin, and Terry steeled himself as Elainna’s grip became tighter. “You! Batman! Didn’t know your son was still alive!”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” someone quipped. Male by the sound.

“Damian,” Bruce started, but his voice trailed off.

“You told us everything was alright between you two,” Dick was raging, and Elainna flinched. Terry knew that Dick would never dare touch his daughter in anyway, but Dick Grayson, Mayor of Gotham, former Robin, former Nightwing, and former Batman, had a temper. “You told us things were fine! That you had put that past behind you both! Kori says they have been back a little over a day! So where is he?!”

Jason took in a deep breath before throwing open the door. “I went to see my godson!”

The room went quite as everyone jerked their heads to the three people in the doorway. Matt had already gone to a more quiet part of the Manor (probably the cave), so it was just the three of them. It was a little awkward, honestly.

“Hi,” Terry waved, eyes locking on Dick, Stephanie, Tim, Barbara, and lastly, Bruce. “I’m Terry McGinnis. I’m Uncle Jason’s godson.”

Elainna slapped him again, and Terry just laughed harder.

\----------------------------------

“You never mentioned it,” Bruce stated flatly.

Well, to everyone else it was flat. To Terry it was _pain-agony-why-help-idon’tunderstand-please-why-pain._ It made Terry’s skin crawl when he first realized the emotion Bruce suppressed. He’d gotten used to it now, and he carefully perched himself on the coffee table across from Bruce, handing the old man his medication.

“I never connected the dots,” Terry admitted. “Though I’ll admit I did get Max to help me look over the files in the computer.”

Bruce grunted at that.

Terry sighed and shook his head. “Your health is deteriorating old man, and the stress of situations like this aren’t helping. You need to talk to them. Like, actually talk.”

“How did your physics test go,” Bruce deflected.

The family of Bats groaned, grumbled and muttered under their breaths. But Terry could tell the exact moment Elainna interfered because everything got silent. Terry grinned, and Bruce eyed him warily.

“Pretty sure I bombed it, despite our late-night studying sessions,” Terry admitted casually, snickering internally as Bruce squirmed.

“We’ll just have to try a different studying method, then,” Bruce stated, his eyes narrowing.

“Maybe,” Terry hummed. “How’d you help your kids study?”

Bruce outright _glared_ at Terry for that.

“Dick was always better with the flashcards,” Bruce began, clearly trying to keep his eyes on Terry, but slowly moving to look at his oldest son. “But we occasionally made games of it whenever he really struggled.”

“Yeah?” Terry let himself relax, letting Elainna catch on.

“Jason was always smart,” Bruce continued, gaze shifting to his other son. “But he hated history more than anything. Flashcards and games didn’t work for him, so I eventually read his history textbook to him in funny voices. Made it sound like stories. Tim and Duke were both similar in their study habits, Tim with his ability to memorize and Duke with his photographic memory, I just came up with puzzles to make studying more of a challenge.”

Elainna sat down beside Terry, and Bruce’s gaze flitted to her. Bruce _adored_ his grandchildren, and Elainna had learned this through Terry’s guidance. The two of them could weed anything out of Bruce.

“Stephanie never really liked my help, but I may have given her a few websites here and there by hacking into Tim’s email.” Stephanie whispered something sharp behind him, clearly betrayed. “Cass hadn’t learned how to speak until much later in her life. Or read for that matter. She had a love for learning that I used to spend time with her. Harper and Cullen were both smart with tech, and I would send them files to hack that would give them studying tips.”

Terry could feel the entire room relax, only tensing when Bruce said something that surprised them.

“Damian already came to me so smart for his age,” Bruce admitted, and Terry could hear the way the emotion was seeping into his voice. Terry loved those moments. His plan had worked. And he knew Bruce knew the plan had worked. “But there were still things that he hadn’t quite grasped. Head full of knowledge, I taught him to observe and help people.”

“Given where they all are in their lives now, I think you did a pretty okay job,” Terry stated, smiling at the old man. “You can’t save them from everything.”

“Terry-”

“You’re just emotionally constipated, remember?” Terry offered a teasing smirk. “And of all the things you taught your kids, you just forgot to teach them your love language.”

Bruce’s jaw snapped shut, and he jolted when Jason put a hand on his shoulder.

“Kiddo’s right, B,” Jason said, voice soft, expression warm. “It was my choice to go with the Outlaws without telling anyone. You couldn’t have known, not with how you were fairing at the time.”

One day, Jason Todd disappeared, and believed dead for the second time. Three days later, Batman would kill someone with a gun. He would break his code because his son had been lost once again.

“Though we are definitely going to be talking about why you let my godson keep the suit,” Jason gave Terry a mock glare.

Bruce glanced at Terry.

“I caught him up on the drive here,” Terry explained, his gaze locked directly on Bruce, knowing the man would understand. “Mostly.”

_Tim Drake and the Joker had not been a topic. Not yet. It’s not my story to tell, but I will be there when it is told._

Terry could read Bruce Wayne like an encrypted book of puzzles waiting to be solved. Bruce Wayne could read Terry McGinnis like one of Riddler’s riddles. Bruce was by far the harder of the two, but they were both _Batman_ with no strings attached. And it was because they were _Batman_ that this bond between them had become a thing. One would always be there for the other.

Tim seemed to understand too, if Terry was reading the room right.

“Hey,” Matt peaked into the room, holding Terry’s phone. “Dana wanted me to tell you that if she doesn’t get to meet Jason in the next three days, she’s going to stake out the Wayne house.”

Terry made a face at his brother as Elainna finally let all of the hysterics of the day bubble out in a laugh.

“I love your girlfriend,” Elainna continued to laugh.

“Well, gee, I love her too, but I’d prefer if you two stopped hanging out,” Terry snarked.

“Not gonna happen,” Elainna gave him that grin from earlier. “Besides, Dana and I have a lunch date in three weeks with Melanie Walker.”

Terry was absolutely horrified.

\----------------------------------

“Feeling better?” Batman asked his partner.

Batwoman punched the guy one more time before turning back to Terry. She certainly looked better. More in her element than when they had been back at the Manor. The confidence and grace he had learned to associate with her was back, ringing with a brightness he hadn’t seen on her since they met. Jason’s disappearance really had affected the entire Wayne Family, even those that hadn’t met him.

“Yeah,” Elainna breathed through her mask, and Terry wasn’t going to let anyone scold her for it. “A lot better.”

With a nod to her, they both took a running leap of the building and glided into the night to find Batgirl and Robin.

After Terry had basically manipulated Bruce into being vulnerable, they had all sat down and _talked_ with Terry occasionally probing Bruce to say more than he normally would. It had clearly revealed more to Bruce’s children than any of them (except Cass, apparently) had ever been able to see in Bruce. But the day had exhausted Bruce, and Terry had eventually gotten Max to come be their eyes, despite the fact Bruce was persistent on sitting with them. Terry had even called Dana after Max so he could keep his own sanity. Translating for Bruce wasn’t easy, and Dana knew that.

_“If you didn’t translate half the time, I’d never have realized he liked me,” Dana had huffed one day. “He’s like a brick wall and you’ve somehow gained X-ray vision to see through it.”_

It wasn’t a bad analogy, in all honesty.

“How do you do it?” Batwoman asked, dipping under Terry so they could talk properly. “How do you just… _know_ what’s going on in his head?”

“I ever tell you about Shriek?” Batman asked, getting a look from Batwoman. “He managed to manipulate sound, and he managed to get to the old man at one point. Tried to get him to commit suicide. It was the first time I got a glimpse into the way the old man thought, and once I figure that out, I began to use those observation skills he was trying to teach me.”

“The way he thought?” Batwoman questioned.

Terry snorted. “He self-identifies as Batman.”

Batwoman might have fallen right out of the sky had Batman not promised himself (and Mayor Grayson) that he would be extra aware and on-guard. Batman easily caught her and righted her posture so she could keep gliding, moving himself under her to better catch her if she stumbles again.

“That-that explains _so_ much,” Elainna whispered out.

Terry could hear Max cackling wildly in his ear, could vaguely hear Bruce muttering under his breath. Terry was going to give that man an earful for not sleeping later, but for now, he was Batman. It was his job to protect the city.

\----------------------------

“Mom checked you grade,” Matt informed him as he and Elainna got back. Matt had an earlier curfew than Terry did, at least for vigilante business. He liked to push it most nights when he was in the cave. “You actually aced that physics test.”

Max had gone home for the night, not that Terry blamed her. It was late, and the only reason Terry and Elainna hadn’t gotten home sooner was because there was a robbery taking places as they headed back. Terry’s eyes landed on Bruce.

“Mom letting us stay here?” he asked, already approaching the old man.

“Yeah,” Matt nodded. “Uncle Jay called her first, and she says she’s proud of you, by the way.”

Terry didn’t respond as he put a hand on Bruce’s shoulder. The old man was exhausted, but he was hiding it well. Much to Terry’s frustration.

“Keep an eye on him, Matt,” Terry instructed as he began to take off the suit. “I’ll be back in a second.”

A few minutes later, with the quickest shower of Terry’s life, Terry is back at Bruce’s side, helping him stand.

“Bedtime, old man,” Terry said gently, only a hint of teasing.

“I need to see them,” Bruce stated, grip as tight as Bruce could manage.

Matt, who can’t read Bruce but can definitely read Terry, quickly brought over a wheelchair. Bruce glared at it, but given how exhausted he was, he let Terry guide him onto the “pointless thing”.

“I’ll take you to them,” Terry promised. “Then bed, old man.”

He knew Bruce would want to stand when they got to where the siblings (adopted and otherwise) were gathered, still awake and talking. Still, Terry had every intention of putting his foot down on this one.

But Cassandra Cain-Wayne was sitting there with Stephanie Drake, both talking in hushed tones and both surprised to see Bruce in a wheelchair. Bruce was clearly resigned, but Terry gave him a light tap to the shoulder.

“I…wanted to check on all of you,” Bruce spoke hesitantly at the probing. “How are you both?”

Stephanie looked a bit weirded out, but Cass smiled at them.

“We’re fine, dad,” Cass said gently, and Terry could _feel_ the surprise and joy radiating from Bruce at the name. “Sorry I haven’t visited in so long.”

“It’s alright, Cass,” Bruce admits, and he’s so resigned, it physically hurts Terry. First Jason. Then the murder. Top it off with the family swearing off Batman _and_ Bruce. It makes sense why Bruce hated letting Terry in. “I understand.”

Bruce _did_ understand, and Terry was going to be sick.

So Terry switched topics. “Have they told Uncle Jay yet?”

Stephanie got over her gaping and met Terry’s gaze. She gave a shake of her head, her hands shaking at the memory.

“Stephanie,” Bruce reached for her. “He’s fine. Now more than ever.”

Once Stephanie had composed herself, Terry had wheeled Bruce into the room, getting startled looks from most of the residents. The Commissioner scolded Bruce lightly, fondly, and asked Terry how things went on the streets. Elainna and Matt joined them sometime during the discussion, and Terry excused himself taking Bruce to his room.

“So, when’d you hurt your back?” Terry questioned as he helped Bruce out of the chair.

“I didn’t.”

“Right.”

“Terry.”

“Whatever you say, old man.”

“…I fell down the stairs.”

“Huh.”

“To the batcave,” Bruce continued. “This morning.”

“After Mayor Grayson called you about Jason,” Terry finished as he helped maneuver Bruce onto the bed. “You wanted to do a check to see if what Mr. Grayson said was true, and slid down the stone steps. And rather than call me, you tried to hide it.”

“Hn.”

“Here,” Terry reached into his pocket. “I grabbed your pain meds. Don’t swallow them dry.”

Bruce glared at Terry, knowing that the odd cup of water had probably been drugged, by Max, on her leave. Bruce took the pills and drank the water anyways.

“Get some sleep, old man, your family is safe,” Terry promised, watching as the sedative took over. It wouldn’t last long, but it wasn’t the first time Terry and Max had done something like this. It helped to ease Bruce into relaxing. Something he almost never did in sleep. “Your family is home.”

Not everyone, Terry knows. Alfred Pennyworth will always be sorely missed. Selina Kyle would always be a sore spot for Bruce too, but he would take him to visit her soon. And little Helena, Bruce’s daughter, wouldn’t be here for another couple days. But she was safe, as were all of Bruce’s other kids.

Once Bruce was asleep, Terry excited the room to be greeted by Elainna.

“I kicked them all downstairs,” she told him as they both snuck to their respective guest rooms. “You really impressed them today.”

“Really? How so?”

“Grandpa Bruce has always been stubborn,” Elainna stated, humming more to herself them Terry. “Hard to read. Harder to get along with. Alfred Pennyworth used to be the only one who could guilt him into anything, and even then, it was a struggle.”

Terry had heard many stories about the Butler of Wayne Manor who now had a computer based A.I. down in the cave. Terry admired the man, as did most people who learned of the man and his many achievements.

“But you did it with such ease,” Elainna continued, her face pinched. “You know how to poke and prod, and tease things out of him that no one else ever could. I’ve never seen anyone do that before, accept maybe Aunt Cass, but she was trained to read people. You do more than that.” 

Terry frowned, thinking over what he had learned from Amanda Waller. He and Bruce had discussed it, what it meant for them, but hadn’t told anyone else. If it hadn’t been for Waller…

“Bruce and I are practically one in the same,” Terry stated, stopping at Elainna’s bedroom. “The only difference between me and him are that he lost both parents. I only lost one. It’s easy to read people once you understand them, and I understand the old man better than anyone.”

_“You’re not his clone, Terry. You’re his son.”_

Bruce, who should never be allowed in a kitchen, had made him soup that night, scolding him for letting it get cold. Bruce, who invited Terry’s girlfriend over for dinner and let her go without threat when she discovered their secret. Bruce, who gave him advice when he was stuck between Melanie and Dana. Bruce, who had taken one look at Matty and adopted him into the cave, desperately trying to protect the boy who would inevitably become Robin. Bruce, who despite dislike Max and her wit, let her claim the name Oracle.

Bruce, who tried to save a kid’s life by trying to take back the Batsuit, but eventually letting that same kid take the suit under his guidance because he couldn’t bare to lose someone else to Batman. Not the way he had lost everything.

No, he wasn’t Bruce’s clone. He was his son, and that had meant the world to Terry.

“He’s not perfect,” Terry concluded. “But he’s afraid of messing up. Again. The old man isn’t afraid of much, but the sight of his children’s dead bodies haunts him. And every time someone else gets involved, a new face enters his nightmares. Knowing his children hate him just makes the nightmare worse.”

“Which is why he prefers to be in your ear,” Elainna whispered, everything clicking into place. “You, me, Matt, Nissa. We’re all his kids now. He’s trying to protect us the only way he still can.”

“Exactly.”

\-----------------------------------

“Maybe it’s subconscious,” Dana offered with a shrug. “You did spend every possible moment you could trying to study for that test. Mr. Wayne even made you flash cards.”

“Mr. Wayne made you flash cards?” Chelsea asked, studying them both with a look of disbelief.

Terry pulled them out and tossed them to Chelsea, not taking his eyes of Dana. “So, what? I just blacked-out and subconsciously aced a test in a class I suck at because Mr. Wayne made me flash cards?”

“Can I keep these?” Chelsea asked.

“No.”

Dana was kind enough to take the cards back as Terry continued to puzzle over his test. He couldn’t remember even answering these questions, but he knew the answers now that he had looked at them.

“You do think better under an adrenaline rush,” Max pipped up. “Perhaps the timed-test thing kicked you into overdrive, or something.”

Terry glanced back at the test. “Maybe.”

“Dude!” some random freshman raced to the door. “The Mayor’s daughter is outside! She’s so hot!”

Terry locked eyes with Dana and Max, both immediately standing up with the rest of the class and moving towards the door as the random freshman went door to door. Sure enough, Elainna Grayson was propped against a slick black car, staring down at her phone as the school ogled her. Terry’s phone pinged with a message in his pocket.

“Think someone’s in trouble?” Max whispered to him.

Terry, however, was glaring at his phone, and then glaring at Elainna. She just smiled, spotting him easily in the crowd.

“No, she’s just being a jerk,” Terry wrapped an arm around Dana. “Apparently, we’re getting junk food with Uncle Jay.”

And just like that, people whipped out their phones to take pictures as Terry and Dana walked up to the black car that supported Elainna Grayson, daughter of Mayor Richard Grayson. They would be the talk of the school for days, and Terry rolled his eyes at the thought.

“Ready to go?” Elainna cocked a brow and gave a snarky grin.

Dana had already caught sight of Jason in the driver’s seat, and was eagerly sliding in, letting Terry’s godfather flatter her with a charming greeting. Terry glared at Elainna, but she just grinned back.

“Elainna needed out of the Manor,” Jason offered in way of greeting. “No offense to the family, but being the runt of the grandkids was clearly overwhelming. Figured we’d make an afternoon of it.”

Elainna slid into the passenger seat, fidgeting a little. It always bothered Terry to see Elainna this uncomfortable, but he still remembered the first time he’d met Elainna’s siblings. It had been odd to see the woman who was Batwoman become so small and insecure around her older siblings. Like she was picked apart and left to dust. Terry could _never_ imagine something like that with his siblings.

“Good call,” Terry agreed, offering a squeeze to his soul-sister’s shoulder (Dana’s word, not his). “Deckard’s Kitchen should be open. Let’s go bug Melanie, and then you guys can share embarrassing stories about me.”

Jason cracked a laugh as he drove off towards Deckard’s Kitchen. Terry might have been nervous that Jason knew where Deckard’s Kitchen was, but then Terry remembered that Deckerd’s Kitchen had been around for some time.

“What we having a party?” Melanie, who had managed to be their waitress, approached them with her usual swaggering grace.

“More like family issues,” Elainna admitted bitterly.

Melanie gave a hum. “Don’t we all, sister. Don’t we all. You want your usual, Ellie?”

“Sounds great,” Elainna cracked a smile.

“Dana-girl?”

“You know what, surprise me,” Dana decided. “You always seem to know what’s good, Mel.”

Terry did not like the fact that his ex, girlfriend, and soul-sister had nicknames for each other. This was going to be a long lunch, and he more subconsciously ordered something.

“Melanie, this is my godfather, Jason,” Terry introduced. “Jason Todd.”

Melanie’s brow arched as she processed this information. She studied the man for a moment before deciding he wasn’t joking. Jason, of course, throughout his charm, instantly winning Melanie over. A few minutes later had Melanie joining them for lunch, courtesy of Jason slipping her boss some cash, and Jason proceeded to tell the girls stories about Terry as a baby. Terry might have mourned his own ego had he not slowly watched Elainna become more relaxed.

\-------------------------

“Did you take your meds?” Terry asked, rummaging for the bottle.

“Yes,” Bruce stated, exasperated.

Terry finally found the bottle and turned to look at Bruce, staring flatly at the man.

“No.”

Terry snorted as he uncapped the medication and shook out a pill to go with the pain medication. Beside Bruce, Tim let out a soft chuckle.

“Kids got you wrapped around his finger,” Tim remarked.

“He’s aware.”

Helena, who had arrived a couple hours ago, snorted a laugh from the kitchen doorway. This was the first time Terry had gotten to meet Helena in person, though there had been many chats where Terry sat in between Helena and Bruce over video call. Helena had been searching adamantly for a cure for her mother.

“Jason mentioned you went to see Melanie today,” Bruce pipped up after glaring at his kids. “How as she?”

Terry placed the pills in Bruce’s hand, offering a glass of water. Without the sedatives this time. “She seemed alright, but apparently, Elainna and Dana would have a better idea than I would. Apparently, they’re all best friends now.”

Bruce actually snorted at that, making Tim startle and Helena bulk. “You do seem to have the worst luck.”

“Yeah, yeah, Mr. Prince Charming,” Terry rolled his eyes, making sure everything was put away. “Just behave for your kids while I’m out, old man. No more fighting. Use your words.”

Terry was purposefully leaving early tonight, if only to get Elainna out of the house. Honestly, Terry had been tempted to call Dana to see if she would be willing to house his soul-sister while the rest of the family was in town, but Elainna had already refused. And the entire family was extremely stubborn. Terry might have just dragged Elainna to his house if it wasn’t for the fact that he was, in fact, helping to look after Bruce. They had to call in a doctor when Terry noted Bruce’s back had gotten worse. The incident with Bane all those years ago certainly hadn’t helped the fall.

“Are you sure you don’t need-?”

“Bruce,” Terry put a hand on Bruce’s shoulder. “I have Nissa, Matt, and Elainna out with me. Max will be in my ear the entire time. And if it makes you feel any better, I’ll even call Melanie and have her keep a window open. You don’t need to worry so much.”

Bruce glared. “What would Gotham do without a Batman?”

The comment seemed to tick Tim off, but Terry held up a hand to stop Tim and Helena from saying anything. He smiled fondly at Bruce.

“Love you too, old man,” Terry chuckled at Bruce’s expression. “Now behave.”

Terry did end up calling Melanie, knowing Bruce was listening in the entire time, and she understood. The night involved a slight altercation with Inque, but Nissa easily had Terry’s back and they were back in the cave only an hour past time. Bruce, of course, was waiting in the study the entire time, Damian being the one to accompany him.

This time, even Damian could see the look of relief on Bruce’s face when Terry, Elainna, and Matt came out of the batcave.

“Why is you hand blue?” Damian questioned, clearly unsure how to handle the sudden emotion his father displayed.

“Inque,” was the chorused response that had Bruce studying Terry’s hand.

“Someone seriously needs to background check the idiots at Arkham,” Max grumbled. “I might just do it myself when I get free time.”

“You could probably do the Police Force too,” Terry threw out as Max grumbled to herself. “Do the Commish a favor.”

“I’d don’t think Aunt Babs would like that,” Elainna shook her head, though obviously fond. “We already do more than she’d like.”

True. But if Max could conduct an algorithm to figure out Batman’s identity, then perhaps she could figure out an algorithm to weed out corrupt cops. Bruce seemed to be thinking of a similar thought.

\-------------------------------------

As promised, Terry sat beside Bruce and Jason as Tim and Bruce explained what the Joker had done to Tim. And what Terry had done to stop it. Terry had a death grip on Jason’s arm the entire time, feeling as Jason’s pulse spiked in fear and anger at the words. His head whipped to Terry when Bruce got to the part where Terry went Rogue.

“I…still have the recording…” Bruce admitted, which Terry knew, because he had been the one to save it. “I don’t know if you’d ever like to listen to it, but Terry did the one thing I never could. Well, one of the things I never could.”

Terry locked eyes with Jason, because, in a sense, Terry had done _both_ things Bruce would never have done. The first, and what Bruce was referring too, was that he had outlaughed the Joker. The second, and something that weighed heavily for Terry, was that he _killed_ the Joker.

Sure, the Joker was technically already dead, but part of Joker’s subconscious had been placed inside Tim Drake. And because Terry had fried that connection, the last remaining aspect of the Joker was gone. Dead.

Jason’s hand shook as he covered Terry’s hand. But his gaze was locked on Tim, a silent question. The next thing everyone knew, Jason was sobbing into Tim’s shoulder, and Tim was sobbing into Jason’s chest. And, with a little aid from Terry, Bruce held two of his sons in a tight embrace. As tight as he could manage.

\-------------------------------

Elainna was sitting off to the side in the cave, watching as her siblings enjoyed a mock fight in the training ground of the pit. It was Mar’i and Jake vs. John, Bryce, and Thomas. The half-Tamaranian children of Princess Koriand’r vs. the children of Barbara Gordon. Terry had heard about the days when each of the five children had taken up their own mantle, gone out as heroes. Mayor Grayson had hoped to save his youngest from that fate.

But it was because of that over-protective streak that Elainna’s siblings belittled her. Even if it wasn’t entirely intentional.

“Come on,” Terry tugged Elainna toward a separate training station. “Forget them, right now. Let’s prove them wrong.”

Elainna followed him to the training station, casting one last glance towards her siblings before getting into a stance. There was a reason Matt called them soul-siblings. They bickered and acted like siblings, sure. Teasing, fighting, laughing, comforting, crying. For all anyone might have guessed, Terry and Elainna could have been twins. But Matt hadn’t given them the nickname just because they acted like siblings.

Elainna Grayson and Terry McGinnis knew how to fight as _one person._ It was like one became an extension of the other, dancing around the other, always watching the other’s back. In the heat of a moment, the entire world could fade away until it was just two Bats demolishing a punk.

It was probably the absolute worst way to have a bond with someone, but that was neither here nor there.

“I can see why you let them take the suits.”

“I didn’t _let_ them take anything.”

Elainna blushed as Jason clapped, letting Bruce glare at his son’s comment. But her gaze quickly shifted to her dad. Richard Grayson stood on Bruce’s opposite side, giving his daughter the brightest, warmest smile Terry had ever seen on the man’s face.

“Told you,” Terry bumped shoulders with his soul-sister before moving to the showers. “You just needed to prove them wrong.”

\-----------------------------

It had been a long night of Terry and Bruce arguing back and forth about what the family did and didn’t need to know. They’d all have to go back to work over the next three days, which meant that they wouldn’t be here. Jason was talking about moving into the Manor, though. But Bruce and Terry had spent all night arguing, and eventually, Terry had won.

“So you’re _not_ the only blood son,” came Jason’s snarky response to the information.

“Bite me,” Damian hissed.

They had decided to reveal the files on Terry and Matt. Both the ones Bruce had collected, and the ones Amanda Waller had given him. The ones that basically declared Terry McGinnis as Bruce Wayne. Sort of, there were slight difference, as there were for Matt, but Terry was closer to Bruce’s DNA than Matt was.

“More like his clone,” Terry joked.

“You’re not a clone, Terrence.”

Oh. Full name. Terry thought they were passed this phase. Then again, Bruce had never really been the joking type, and the fight they had following the exposure of the information hadn’t been pretty. Probably as big as the fight Mayor Grayson had with Bruce around the time Jason came to the Manor.

“No offense, old man, but calling you my dad just sounds creepy,” Terry kept up his joke.

Bruce seemed to catch on, rolling his eyes fondly.

“Why tell us this stuff?” Stephanie pipped up, and Terry could _see_ the Batgirl in her. “You’ve never deemed it important before.”

Bruce turns to Terry. But it was _Max_ who answered.

“Because Terry awoke something in Bruce Wayne that everyone else believed died with Jason Todd. The first time.”

Okay…what?

“Think about it,” Max pointed at Terry. “Both Mayor Grayson and your godfather can attest that Bruce may not have been the best father, but he certainly tried _without_ the cowl. Everyone following Jason’s first death can attest that Mr. Wayne wasn’t a bad father, but he acted more like a drill sergeant, getting tougher and tougher every time one of the other Bats died or faked their death. Jason Todd disappears, and the old man loses it enough to kill someone. _With a gun._ The family falls apart. Then you come along, steal the suit, and boom! Bruce has suddenly got his first protégé in a decade and he _can’t_ go out to help. Every fatherly instinct he had suddenly came back, because he wasn’t going to let this _idiot kid_ end up dead. Some blood work and sleuthing later, you’re suddenly his son. Your situation forced Bruce to revert back to out-of-cowl-dad-mode.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t explain-”

“I’m not done!” Max cut him off. “Suddenly, there are other people in suits, and several of his old friends/family are getting involved. Mr. Wayne is suddenly living his worst nightmare because not only are these punk kids involved, but so are his children. He _has_ to rely on _us_ to keep ourselves safe. Not only that, but the first punk kid who is basically his son can suddenly read him like a book. You broke down every wall. Honestly, the only reason Bruce consented to telling the others was because you decided to do backflips on Wayne Enterprise while you argued over the comms.”

“Hn.”

Terry shrugged. “I need to let steam out or I’ll say something I’ll regret. Something the old man and I share in common.”

Bruce glared at him.

“Back on track,” Max stated before Terry could say something snarky. “Terry, you know how to let people in. Being around everyone, they’ve always talked about how Mr. Wayne was ‘focused on the mission’, and honestly, you are too. You take this seriously in your own way, but you reacted differently. Bruce reacted to Harvey Dent’s betrayal and Jason’s death by believing he needed to keep things from people. You have been betrayed by almost every member of your team and yet you _keep_ trusting us. You keep letting us in when necessary. You don’t tell us everything, but you just seem to _know_ when a person needs to know something. Like with Big Time.”

Jason’s head whipped to Terry at the name, and Terry winced. Big Time was still a sore spot, probably always would be. His own version of Harvey Dent becoming Two-Face. But Max was right. Terry had reacted differently than Bruce when it came to a best friend’s betrayal. Bruce had created contingency plans, Terry had run through every possible scenario that could have gone _better_ , and then went through every possibly scenario to fix what had been broken.

Bruce shifted slightly, his hand landing on Terry’s, squeezing gently. Terry sucked in a breath of his own, shaky. Terry dreaded the day Bruce would die. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to function without the man there. To Terry, losing Bruce Wayne would be like Bruce losing Jason Todd.

“You were always a better man than me, Terry,” Bruce stated, startling several of his children. “A far, far better man.”

“Nah,” Terry shook his head, letting himself smile and look at Bruce. “Not really. Probably would have been worse than you if some old man hadn’t made it his life goal to constantly be in my ear.”

Bruce gave him a look. A look that often times meant Bruce was smiling, even if the actual smile wasn’t on his face. Terry smiled back.

\------------------------------------------

“You’re quiet,” Terry teased as he got down the ingredients Jason had asked for.

Mary was working late, and Terry wanted to surprise her with dinner. Matt, of course, was sleeping. He’d always been better at organizing his time. Plus, Terry didn’t really sleep.

“Just thinking,” Jason chuckled. “You really are a wonder, kid.”

Terry wasn’t sure where _that_ came from, but given the past week, he could guess.

“You’re pretty special too, Uncle Jay,” Terry prompted, getting to chop the vegetables Jason set down in front of him. (It was nice to finally understand why Jason always insisted on a vegetarian option for dinner. Though Terry had been surprised to learn that fact about Damian Wayne). “The prodigal son.”

“Oh, don’t start,” Jason teased with a playful shove. “Roy and I joked about that all the time.”

Terry hummed. “So, what was it like, the other Universe?”

Jason made a _face._ “Well, you were Batman. For a time. But you got sent back in time, married Supergirl, Kara Zor-El, and eventually died. Your daughter, Cassandra Alura Zor-El McGinnis, and yes, it was a mouthful, eventually became Batgirl in this time. Tim ended up taking your suit due to circumstances I never quite figured out, and he traveled to your time, and eventually helped us get back.”

Terry blinked. “That’s messed up.”

“Tell me about it,” Jason laughed, but it was tired. Exhausted. “I just-I just kept thinking how much I wanted to be home. To assure myself you were still here. That Bruce was…”

Jason had never mentioned Bruce by name when Terry was a kid. Bruce was always “Dad” to Jason. Nothing else. Terry knew it was still something Bruce and Jason danced around. Still, Terry wasn’t going to push unless the two were present at the same time. And he’d already done so several times.

“You know, I never asked, but what did lead you to stop killing?” Terry questioned. Bruce had never mentioned it in any of Jason’s files before, just made notes that Jason had stopped killing. “You never struck me as the type to back down from your beliefs.”

Jason frowned at that, looking a bit surprised too. “A man named Richard Dragon.”

Terry froze. “Seriously!?”

“Is that Jason’s cooking I smell,” the sound of Mary’s voice interrupted any and all conversation. “Isn’t this a nice surprise!”

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I am aware Dick Grayson has a lot of kids, but I looked them up. They are all cannon...and also the only kids DC ever actually named...
> 
> Tim has at least 3 kids. Damian has at least 2 (though we do not speak of their conception), but none of them are named. Is frustrating.


End file.
